Michael Lyon’s love of music dates from early childhood in Arlington, Virginia, as his parent’s routine of awakening him for school included not an alarm clock, but rather songs from The Great American Songbook, booming from the household stereo at the crack of dawn.
In this interview spotlight, I chat with Michael about his music, the challenges, the technology and more.
Full Q&A along with links and music below.
Where are you from and what style of music do you create? (In your own words, not necessarily in marketing terms or by popular genre classifications.)
I was born in the same medical center where President Reagan was rushed to save his life (after a bullet from a would-be assassin in 1981 almost altered the course of American history): George Washington University Hospital in Washington, D.C. I grew up nearby, in Arlington, Virginia – with a loving/close family upbringing & memorable public school education, up through the family’s move to Carmel Valley, California following my junior year in high school…
I had loved music my whole life – especially the genre of the Broadway musical my parents cherished most… but in keeping with the sense of newfound freedom brought on by the move West, perhaps THE moment of truth for my particular musical future took place shortly after we drove across the country and I’d arrived at our new home, when I went to see my first-ever rock concert, featuring headliner, Chuck Berry. Standing on my chair at the Monterey Fairgrounds, cheering on the Father of Rock ‘n Roll himself, I realized an adventure had begun to unfold that would take me in a much different direction than had the family stayed put on East Coast.
Becoming the singer/songwriter I am today turned out to be a LONG time coming from that point – with so many twists and turns along the way. During college the closest I could come to serious music-making was being involved with concert promotion (during one of those shows I got to shake Mr. Berry’s hand just as he arrived at the amphitheater and emerged from his Cadillac).
The financial realities/necessities involved with earning a living over the years that followed may have slowed significantly the process of ultimately discovering my unique voice. But throughout all that time there have been no shortage of “fork in the road” moments. Take, for example, what happened to me one evening shortly after arriving in England to seek employment – as part of an international work exchange program – and someone kindly bestowed upon me a ticket to a concert at London’s Royal Albert Hall. My mother had just passed away (prematurely, from cancer) right before this happened, and I arrived at the hall too late to be seated for the opening piece on the program. Yet while standing outside, listening through those gigantic closed doors, with tears of grief streaming down my face… I could hear one of the most beautiful sounds of my life, someone playing a piece of music I’d never heard before: the Bruch Violin Concerto. I’ll never forget thinking at that moment: “What in the world could be any more noble than aspiring to make a sound like THAT?” With that thought was planted the seed that somehow, someday I would learn how to play the violin myself. Though it wasn’t until a few later circumstances allowed that seemingly “impossible-as-an-adult” dream to gradually come true, happen it eventually DID, which among other things, gave me access in community orchestras to a wealth of musical utterances – and the great honor to begin to get “inside” the music of masters like Mozart, Beethoven, Brahms… that rightly boggle the mind and raise one’s sights.
Isn’t it the case, that “if you can think it, then just maybe you can go ahead and do it?!” Not too long after that “aha!” moment in London, I lived for a couple years in New York City – and managed to land a job with CBS News after extensive correspondence with the Who’s Who of America. One of the “big boys” I met with during that job search was a CBS Records executive. He told me something I’d never forget: When thinking about the actual creation of music, the songwriter or composer is best thought of as the butterfly, and everything else surrounding that – the “music business” is simply the cocoon. (Why couldn’t I have realized that back in college days, or even earlier? Chalk it up perhaps to what everyone goes through in “growing up?”)
What led you down this path of music and what motivates you to keep going?
While I hope that the answer given to the “What style of music/where are you from” question is informative about this… the answer here must surely be the examples of songwriting excellence set by a heavenly host of heroes, including such popular, acoustic, indie, folk… music giants as The Beatles, Simon & Garfunkel, Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young, Pete Seeger, Woody Guthrie, Bob Dylan, Joni Mitchell, Jim Croce, John Prine, Ralph McTell, Dan Fogelberg… the complete list of luminaries like this is virtually endless!
How is this new release different than previous ones? Were you trying to accomplish anything specific?
One notable difference between this new release (the four songs I’m sending you for the Music Submit “Love” campaign) and anything I could have submitted previously is that for the most part, these latest songs are my way of responding to the urgency of the new pandemic reality of “speak now or (possibly) forever hold your peace” in which, tragically, so many thousands of those around us are fine one day, but then unluckily contract Covid 19 and within a short space of time are gone forever. In other words, right now THIS is the defining moment of our lives, and I must speak to THAT while I can: remembering that whatever happens, as the Beatles realized, it always was/is/and will be about “Love” (or if lucky enough, “Love at First Sight”)… that asking oneself the question of “Where” is safe is one that bears repeating… that meeting this unprecedented moment requires “Calling All” of us to be heroic, each in our own individual ways… etc.
Name one or two challenges you face as an indie musician in this over saturated, digital music age? How has technology helped you (since we know it does help)?
You said it, “over saturated!” A huge challenge is just becoming heard with SO much out there (much of it “noise”) to contend/compete with. Playlists & streaming are omnipresent; attention spans are limited… technology is there for the understanding, and I must do a much better job of keeping up with it and learning how to utilize it much more effectively.
What was the last song you listened to?
It’s a song I just added to a “legends corner” section on the homepage of my website, after discovering it a couple days ago when it was “recommended” for me by YouTube. The title of the song is Ian Tyson’s “Four Strong Winds,” and this live version is led by Mary Chapin Carpenter, accompanied by dozens of singers on Zoom in support of the Edmonton Folk Festival. I’m fortunate enough to have seen Mary Chapin Carpenter perform live (most recently, with Shawn Colvin a couple months before the pandemic hit) and recall being very moved when Peter, Paul & Mary played the song years ago, but I must say, Carpenter & Company really nailed it with this performance!
Which do you prefer? Vinyl? CDs? MP3s?
I am sentimentally attached to Vinyl – so many memories… and I cherish my vinyl collection – things like The Complete Beatles album box set (the albums they released in the UK)… I’m “okay” with CDs… and recognize that MP3s leave a lot to be desired in capturing the full sound of the music, but from my perspective, my number one priority nowadays is “listening when I can,” but worrying more about constantly trying to move the quality of songwriting/music-making up to the “next level.”
How about this one…. Do you prefer Spotify? Apple Music? Bandcamp? Or something else? Why?
It’s hard to heap too much praise on any of them considering how much money the artist gets from them (peanuts, if that) … how a platform like Spotify is basically about algorithms, or perhaps “what’s trending”… I’ve yet to see any evidence that for all of Spotify’s bells & whistles, anyone in an editorial capacity there would give a hoot about what I’m doing. If in addition to Spotify, Apple Music, and Bandcamp, you added “Pete Seeger,” I would tell you what I often think of from something he once said, “Keep it small, but keep it going.”
Where is the best place to connect with you online and discover more music?
Please visit my website at: https://www.MichaelLyonMusic.com
Anything else before we sign off?
Thank you very much for your interest! Please be well and keep safe!
